Our story

 

One singular afternoon while searching through my great-grandmother’s archives in her country home, I discovered a crumpled pair of impeccable men’s shirts from an era so far gone. They were the remnants of a time when style and taste reigned above anything else. I stood in the middle of her kitchen, holding them up to the tropical sun, amazed by the intricate embroidery on the fabric. I instantly recognized they were a vanishing piece of my own past. A newly blossomed sense of nostalgia and romanticism for something so simple as a piece of clothing took over me.

Acqua Di Artem came to light during a thunderous time. I desired to capture the joy and glamour of a past I had fallen in love with. A line of beauty I dreaded would remain broken for eternity.

With Acqua Di Artem, I intend to share a timeless elegance and an inescapable excitement for the future.

 

 

Love letter to linen.
 

I’ve been around linen since I was a kid. The first memory I have both of my father and grandfather is them being around our breakfast table with their perfectly ironed linen shirts and the day’s newspaper between us.

Ever since the nineteenth century, linen was a staple in the fashion of the Yucatan Peninsula. The streets were laden with white guayaberas and dark trousers, straw hats and misshapen ties. You’d think it was only a passing wild-spread fashion moment in the vast Yucatan history, but as things turned out, it soon became the staple of today’s world.

 

Yucatán has a medium annual temperature of 26º with a medium maximum of 36º. It’s only natural to guess why linen remained the top choice of the affluent population of the area. Not only is linen light and fresh to the touch, it’s also two times stronger than cotton. It almost has no elasticity, which helps clothing maintain its shape over time. It dries faster, and it thermoregulates the wearer. Linen’s also antifungal and antibacterial, which in consequence neutralizes odors. In conclusion, it’s the most perfect fabric for warm and not so warm weather.

 

I always thought of linen as an old man’s thing, but ever since I finished college and my brain got enough time to develop, it became the fundamental type of fabric in my wardrobe. I use it in every color and during every season, even if I’m walking around London during winter, which some people would find outrageous — and rightly so — I still do it, because no other fabric gives me confidence and comfort as linen does. I live in linen suits, shorts, pants, shirts, and everything the human imagination is capable of conjuring up. For this and for many important reasons, linen is and will continue to be the pillar of our brand. -- Aaron Artem